The earth after that it is ploughed and sowed, must be watered and warmed with the dews and influences of heaven, or no fruit can be expected. If God do not open to you his good treasure, the heavens to give rain unto the Land in its season, and bless all the work of your hands, as it is, Deut. 28. 12. The earth cannot yield her increase, The order and dependence of natural causes in the productions of fruit, is excellently described, Hos. 2. 21. 22. I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn, and wine, and Oil, and they shall hear Jezreel. Jezreel ⟨p. 81⟩must have corn, and wine, and Oil, or they cannot live; they cannot have it, unless the earth bring it forth, the earth cannot bring it forth without the heavens, the heavens cannot yield a drop unless God hear them; that is; unlock and open them.* Nature and natural causes are nothing else b•t the order in which God works. This some Heathens by the light of nature acknowledged, and therefore when they went to plough in the morning,2 they did lay one hand upon the plough (to speak their own part to be painfulness) and hold up the other hand to Ceres the Goddess of Corn, to show,3 that their expectation of plenty was from their supposed Deity. I fear many Christians lay both hands to the plough, and seldom lift up heart or hand to God, when about that work. There was an husbandman (saith Mr. Smith) that always sowed good Seed, but never had good Corn;4 at last a neighbour came to him, and said, I will tell you what probably may be the cause of it? It may be (said he) you do not steep your Seed; no truly said the other, nor ever did I hear that Seed must be steeped; yes surely, said his neighbour, and I will tell you how, it must be steeped in prayer. When the party heard this, he thanked him for his counsel, reformed his fault, and had as good Corn as any man whatsoever, Surely, it is not the Husbandmans, but God steps that drop fatness. Alma Matter terra, the earth indeed is a fruitful mother, but the rain which •ecundates and fertilizes it, hath no other father but God, Job 38. 28.
THe earth after that it is plowed and sowed, must be watered and warm'd with the dews and ifluences of heaven, or no fruit can be expected. If God do not open to you his good treasure, the heavens to give rain unto the Land in its season, and bless all the work of your hands, as it is, Deut. 28. 12. The earth cannot yield her increase, The order and dependance of natural causes in the productions of fruit, is excellently described, Hos. 2. 21. 22. I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn, and wine, and Oyl, and they shall hear Iezreel. Iezreel ⟨p. 81⟩must have corn, and wine, and Oyl, or they cannot live; they cannot have it, unless the earth bring it forth, the earth cannot bring it forth without the heavens, the heavens cannot yield a drop unless God hear them; that is; unlock and open them.* Nature and natural causes are nothing else b•t the order in which God works. This some Heathe•s by the light of nature acknowledged, and therefore when they went to plow in the morning,2 they did lay one hand upon the plow (to speak their own part to be painfulness) and hold up the other hand to Ceres the Goddess of Corn, to shew,3 that their expectation of plen•y was from their supposed Deity. I fear many Christians lay both hands to the plow, and seldom lift up heart or hand to God, when about that work. There was an husbandman (saith Mr. Smith) that alwayes sowed good Seed, but never had good Corn;4 at last a neighbour came to him, and said, I will tell you what probably may be the cuse of it? It may be (said he) you do not steep your Seed; no truly said the other, nor ever did I hear that Seed must be steeped; yes surely, said his neighbour, and I will tell you how, it must be steeped in prayer. When the party heard this, he thanked him for his counsel, reformed his fault, and had as good Corn as any man whatsoever, Surely, it is not the Husbandmans, but God steps that drop fatness. Alma Mater terra, the earth indeed is a fruitful mother, but the rain which •ecundates and fertilizes it, hath no other father but God,
- *Natura nihil al••d est qua• divinorum operum ordo.
- 2Brentius.
- 3Weems Cerem. Law.
- 4Smiths Essex Dove.
